Laurie Wolinski, Extension Agent; lgw@udel.edu
July 15 is the crop acreage reporting date for most spring-seeded crops for Farm Service Agency (FSA) program compliance as well as crop insurance reporting purposes. FSA and the Risk Management Agency (RMA) have been working to provide a unified acreage reporting process. It is imperative that producers verify that the acreage reporting requirements of both FSA and their crop insurance agent are met. Before signing an acreage report, a producer should fully understand the document they are certifying, making sure it is accurate and complete.
Both FSA and your crop insurance agent want to help you make the acreage reporting process as quick and easy as possible. It will be useful to start the reporting process well prior to July 15. FSA offices are usually filled with waiting producers at the deadline. Avoiding the rush will save time, help ensure accuracy, and enhance timely cooperation between your agent and FSA.
Accuracy in crop reporting is a key component for crop insurance, because an error in this information can affect premiums or claims. Crop insurance loss adjusters report the most frequent cause of difficulty or delay in processing a claim is an error or omission in acreage report. It is far better to be thorough and avoid errors than to try to correct later. In carpentry, and old saying is “Measure twice, cut once.” In crop reporting it may be said, “Check twice, sign once.”